Frozen Feelings
by 12AngryMen
Summary: Watching Mina dive into that made Izuku finally understood the effect his self-sacrificing behavior had on others. He only hoped she would wake up soon, so he could apologize to her and everyone else he had hurt.
1. Chapter 1

"Aw, okay. Talk to you later then."

Mina Ashido pressed the "end" button on her phone, sighing dramatically. Another no.

It was a lazy Sunday afternoon at the U.A. dorms, and the pinkette had decided to use the downtime to get some food shopping done. And being the social butterfly she was, she was hoping to have some company for the trip. Unfortunately, it looked like all her friends were busy in some way. Uraraka, Kirishima, Hagakure, Kaminari, Tsuyu… The list went on. She had even tried people she wasn't as close with like Satou.

Part of her suspected a few of them just didn't want to go. She supposed she couldn't blame them; it was the middle of winter and well below freezing right now. If someone had asked her to accompany them for no real reason, she might say no too.

Deciding to admit defeat, the pink girl put her phone away and started putting on her winter gear.

As she headed down the elevator, she considered if there was anyone else she could ask. There were of course some classmates she _didn't_ want to invite, namely Tokoyami, Iida, Bakugou, and Mineta. They just didn't exactly seem like fun company, especially the latter two.

"Guess there's nobody else," she said to herself as the elevator stopped. As she stepped out of, however, she immediately spotted something that said otherwise. "Oh!"

Izuku Midoriya was in the kitchen putting away some dishes. It seemed like he had just finished lunch.

Mina brightened up a bit. She hadn't asked Izuku, having just assumed he was too busy with training like usual. But it appeared that wasn't the case.

"Yo, Midoriya!" She greeted cheerily, walking up to the boy. Izuku looked over towards her, only now becoming aware of her presence.

"Oh, Ashido. Afternoon." He immediately took notice of her puffy pink coat, purple hat and purple gloves. "Where are you heading?"

"Grocery shopping. You wanna come?"

"Huh?" Izuku was caught a bit off guard by the question. Was this a group thing? "Who else is going?"

"Nobody. Just figure it'd be nice to have some company." She shrugged, smiling again. "So, you in?"

"Uh…" The freckled boy wasn't sure how to respond. While he and Mina were on good terms, he wouldn't exactly consider them good friends. Why him? "Is Uraraka not free?" He didn't want to just say no, but he didn't want to say yes either. Going out in the cold wasn't exactly appealing to him, and it'd mean being alone with Mina – A girl – for an extended period of time.

It had been over half a year since the once-Quirkless boy entered U.A., and by now he had gotten over a lot of his initial anxiety when it came to the opposite sex. He could actually talk to Uraraka without tripping over himself, for instance.

But the idea of going somewhere alone with a girl was still a little scary to him, especially if it was Mina. Her extreme personality made talking with her for too long difficult for a guy like him. And well… He'd be lying if he said he didn't think she was attractive.

"Ochako's busy. Like, everyone is honestly," Mina answered. She put her hands together. "Pleeeaaaase? Going on my own sounds super boring, and you're like the only one left I can ask."

…Oh, that's why she was asking him. Because nobody else was around.

"…Oh jeez, that sounded, like, _super_ bad didn't it?" Pink cheeks turned magenta as Mina put a hand over her mouth. "S-Sorry! I didn't mean it like…"

While she and Izuku weren't the closest friends, she still liked him well enough. He was just so shy and always so busy, so actually hanging out with him was difficult.

"No it's… Fine. I know we don't talk too much." Izuku knew Mina enough to understand she was sincere in that apology.

"Honestly, I just figured you'd be too busy. You seem to never have time to do anything."

"O-Oh, well um…" The boy rubbed his hair a bit. He honestly couldn't blame her for thinking that.

"Hey don't get me wrong, not saying that's bad. I mean, you're a top student for a reason." Izuku felt his cheeks warming up a bit at the compliment. It still wasn't something he was used to.

"W-Well, actually um… I was about to go work on some homework. And then do some training after that…"

"Oh." Mina looked disappointed. "So… Too busy then?"

"I… Well um…" On one hand Izuku wanted to say yes, he was too busy. School and training were super important, after all. But on the other hand, he'd feel bad about making Mina go off on her own when he honestly could spare the time to accompany her. Plus, he didn't like the idea that he was earning a reputation of being too busy to have fun. The last thing he wanted to do was close himself off from his friends.

He shook his head.

"No, I can go. I can just do that all later." Mina lit up like a star.

"Really?" Her held her hands up a bit, balling them into fists as she bounced on her feet excitedly. Izuku nodded. "Yaaaaay!" She threw her arms up in triumph, cheering as she jumped up quite high. A silly smile crossed her classmate's face as he watched the display. Seeing her get that worked up about something like this was rather endearing. "Aw, you're the best Midori!"

"Uh, heh…" He couldn't help but blush again as his dumb smile widened. Something about being called "Midori" just got to him. "Um… L-Let me get a c-coat."

Mina sat down at one of the tables as he left the room, giggling to herself. Izuku could be a real cutie sometimes with how nervous he could get. She could see why Uraraka had been so interested in him for a little while.

"Wait." Realizing what that last thought just implied, Mina felt herself blush. She giggled again.

She wouldn't say she had a crush on Izuku or anything, but she did always feel drawn to him in some weird way. Then again, it seemed a lot of the class did; he just had that kind of effect on people.

How many of them thought he was cute though? Sure, he was no Todoroki, but still…

She shook her head, not really in the mood to think about this stuff. Groceries now, boys later.

* * *

Izuku winced as the wind picked up, the freezing air blowing across his face. Despite dressing in layers, it was still pretty darn cold out.

"Phew… Chilly." Mina's voice was a bit muffled underneath her scarf. Izuku was beginning to regret not bringing one himself.

The two students had left the dorms some time ago and started on their walk to the grocery store. They were pretty close now, maybe a couple minutes away at most. At the moment they were cutting through a park to save time.

Izuku took a glance around at the scenery. Cold as it was, there was a certain beauty to winter he could appreciate. The way the snow coated the trees and ground, the calming silence… It was nice.

Looking back at Mina, he couldn't help but notice how much she both literally and figuratively stood out against it all. She was everything winter wasn't; warm, bright, loud, and colorful.

Spending time with her like this had gone about as he had expected. Mina went on and on, asking him all sorts of questions or just telling stories. It was a bit overwhelming for him but still, he kept up. It was certainly nice having someone who wanted to talk to him this much.

"Oh wow, look at that!" Mina pointed to some nearby hills. Several people could be seen sledding down or walking up them. "That looks like so much fun! I haven't been sledding in forever."

"Same." Izuku had only gone a couple times with his mom years ago.

"Oh!" An idea hatched in Mina's head. "We should get the whole class out here for like, a snow day! We could sled and do all sorts of other stuff!" She looked at Izuku excitedly. "Wouldn't that be cool!?"

"Uh… Yeah, sounds fun." Her sudden burst of energy had surprised him. "You could ask about in class tomorrow." Mina nodded, beaming as she thought more about what they could do.

Izuku had proven to be a good traveling companion. He was quiet, yes, but didn't seem to mind when Mina talked his ear off. She had taken advantage of this rare opportunity to ask him all sorts of things about himself. Again, he had always sort of intrigued her and she wanted to know more about him.

However, there was one question she had avoided. It was a bit personal and she wasn't certain it was appropriate to ask. However, the longer they walked the more her curiosity ate at her.

"Hey, uh, question." It eventually became too much to bear. If he didn't want to answer, he could just not answer.

"Hm?" Mina glanced at his right arm.

"Um… Does that hurt?" Izuku looked confused before following her gaze and realizing what she was asking about.

"O-Oh, um…" Everyone knew about the injury he had sustained, of course. The scars were impossible to hide. But nobody had ever really asked him before. "Um… Only a little, sometimes."

"Oh." They both slowed down a bit.

Mina didn't know the full details of just what Izuku went through during the attack at their training camp, but she did know he had done something terrible to himself. It didn't seem like a coincidence that after that he started fighting with primarily his legs. He seemed fine and all, but she just couldn't help but worry.

"Sorry, um…" She cleared her throat, feeling how awkward things had gotten.

"N-No, it's okay. I know it looks… Bad."

"That's an understatement and a half," Mina remarked. "Dude, your Quirk um… Honestly, it kinda scares me."

Izuku stopped at this, looking directly at her with a little shock. It what?

"What?"

"Well, I mean." Ugh. Mina didn't want to kill the mood with this, but it had been on the back of her mind for a while now. "It's super strong and stuff, but like… How many times have you broken your arms now?" She had stopped too. "That's just… It can't be good for you, right? That's why you use kicks now instead of… Oh." Realizing she might have gone a bit far, she cut herself off.

Izuku continued to stare at her. She was right, of course; he hadn't just come up with Shoot Style to differentiate himself from All Might. He had done too much damage to his arms, and now he was paying the price.

"…Yeah." He looked forward and kept walking. "Yeah, that's… That's why."

"…Why did you keep doing it then?" Mina started after him. "You… You had to have known, right?"

"Can we please-

"But you kept breaking yourself-

"Ashido, please-

"Do you know how scary it was watching you-

"Stop!" Mina winced as Izuku suddenly shouted. "I… I'm sorry, but just… P-Please, can we stop?" This was not a conversation he wanted to have.

"I… Okay, okay." Mina held her hands up, deciding to drop it. Again, personal stuff. She understood.

"I'm sorry if I ever worried you, but…" He sighed, shaking his head a bit. "I know I messed up. And now I'm paying for it." He lifted his arms slightly. He didn't want to get into why he didn't care if he broke his body. Frankly, he didn't want to talk about his Quirk period.

The rest of the walk to the store was pretty quiet. Mina grabbed what she needed (Izuku getting a few items himself), and before long they were heading back through the park.

"Really? You like natto?" Izuku asked with some bewilderment. He had tried the stuff once and found it pretty gross.

"That's the face everyone makes…" Mina chuckled. "Yes, I do." Thankfully the tense atmosphere had dissipated by now and the pair was back to regular conversation. Mina obviously wanted to press the subject of Izuku's injuries further but knew that was wildly inappropriate now. She was just glad he hadn't been too upset with her; the fact that they could go back to talking about dumb stuff after that little moment was nice. Showed a lot of maturity.

Izuku didn't blame Mina for asking those questions. He was sure most of the class wanted to ask him too, but it seemed she was the only one willing. He wished he could tell her more, but for obvious reasons he had to keep everything surrounding his Quirk quiet.

Though the park was mostly empty due to the cold weather, there were a few people here and there. For instance, as the two teens passed by a frozen pond they spotted a group of three kids playing on it.

"Um…" Izuku couldn't help but feel a little nervous seeing them on the ice. "I-Is that safe?" He didn't see anyone else around watching them.

"Seems fine. They aren't going too far out on the ice or anything," Mina commented. It was true; they had only gone maybe a meter out.

Izuku felt a bit unsure but kept moving. She was probably right. However, they only made it a little further before he stopped again.

"Oh my god." His eyes widened as he spotted a figure walking towards them just ahead. They were dressed in casual attire, but he'd recognize them anywhere. "It's Death Arms!"

For whatever reason, the pro hero Death Arms was at the park. His lack of costume implied he wasn't on duty at the moment, but that didn't stop Izuku from running up to him. Mina stood where she was, smirking as she watched his inner fanboy go off.

"Heh, so much for incognito…" The pro chuckled as Izuku reached him. He was used to dealing with fans even off duty, so he didn't mind too much.

"S-Sorry to bother you, sir, j-just I'm a big fan a-and…" The fanboy could hardly contain himself as he fished around for something he could get signed. As he pulled out a journal, Death Arms raised an eyebrow.

"Hey… Don't I know you from somewhere?" Izuku looked up at him, confused. They technically had met once before, but would he really remember that?

"Uh, w-well I'm at U.A. s-so maybe…"

"That's right! You're that kid who charged that sludge thing way back!"

"Wha… Wait, y-you remember that?" That was so long ago! The man snorted.

"Course I do! You damn near got yourself killed pulling that stupid stunt! Hard to forget when a civ does that." He almost seemed angry as he recalled Izuku's recklessness.

"Er…" The boy shrunk a bit, blushing deeply. He remembered getting chewed out for his actions that day.

"Hmph. And you're in U.A. now? Now that you mention it I _do_ recall seeing you at the festival…" Death Arms rubbed his chin, then smirked. "Figures someone like you'd be trying to get into the hero business. Hope they've taught you to think before you act."

Mina didn't exactly know what they were talking about, but she found the conversation amusing nonetheless. She really liked seeing this side of Izuku.

As she was about to go over and introduce herself, though, she suddenly heard shouting coming from another direction.

"Hiroto, come back! That's way too far!"

"Yeah, come on!"

"Aw come on, don't be such babies!"

Mina turned towards the voices, realizing where they were coming from. She gasped at the scene before her.

Those kids were still on the ice. One of them, a boy with short black hair, was now standing close to the middle of the pond.

"Look! It's totally safe, see?" The boy, who Mina decided was a unique brand of stupid, then jumped on the ice to show it was fine. Then he did it again, and again. "See, it's…"

He trailed off as a noticeable crack formed under him. Mina's eyes went wide.

Then, before he could even shout, the ice broke beneath him. He disappeared under the water.

"OH MY GOD!" Mina screamed and, before she could even really think about it, began charging towards the pond.

"Well anyway, I don't want to keep you any-Huh?" Izuku whipped around as he heard the shout. He saw Mina sprinting towards the frozen pond they had just passed, and two kids that seemed to be panicking at the shore.

Wait, two?

His eyes darted around until they spotted the cracks in the ice, and a tiny section that was bobbing up and down in the water. He quickly put the pieces together in his head.

"What's happening!?" Death Arms was beginning to move towards the commotion. Izuku ran alongside him.

"Someone fell through the ice!" He shouted.

"They what!?" The pro picked up his pace. "Hey, girl! Wait up!"

Mina either hear or wasn't listening. She had already made it to the pond in the few seconds they took to process what was happening.

She didn't stop at the pond's shore. Instead, she kicked off her boots mid-run and activated her Quirk. Non-acidic slime poured out from her feet, allowing her to slide along the ice at a controlled pace. Her brain wasn't really thinking about whether or not this was safe to do; all she knew was that she needed to save that boy, and _fast_.

Reaching the spot where the kid fell, she came to a stop. She frantically looked around to see if she could spot him trying to surface anywhere. Not such luck.

Well, only one thing to do then.

Without any hesitation, the young heroine threw off her gloves and shot some concentrated acid at a portion of the ice. It hissed, bubbled, and steamed as it ate through the frozen water, quickly melting it away. In seconds there was a sizeable hole that wasn't getting filled back in with more ice.

Izuku got to shore as this was happening, Death Arms not far behind. He felt his stomach lurch as he saw Mina standing over this hole she had made.

She wasn't going to…

"Ashido, no!"

"Don't do it, kid!"

But it was too late. There was a splash the pink girl jumped.

"ASHIDO!"

Mina felt as if a million needles were stabbing her all over as she entered the frigid water. For a moment, the sheer shock from the cold threatened nearly forced her to gasp for breath. She managed to stop herself though.

Calm. She needed to keep calm. Find this kid and get him out asap.

Her exposed skin burned and stung as her now soaked clothes weighed heavily on her. Frantically looking around, she spotted a shape weakly struggling near the bottom. It wasn't too deep in here, fortunately, and she made for it.

Above the surface, Izuku felt like he was going to vomit. Without thinking, he started running toward the hole.

…Only to be stopped as something grabbed him.

"The heck do you think you're doing!?" Death Arms yelled.

"WE'VE GOT TO HELP HER!" Izuku screamed, struggling against his grip.

"Use your head, kid! Look at the ice!" The panicked boy took a moment to look where he was pointing, and immediately saw the issue. There were more cracks forming on the ice. "See that? If you go out there and cause that to break any more, it could plug up the hole she made! That'll just be putting everyone in more danger, including you!"

"B-But… We can't just!" He _refused_ to stand by and do nothing.

"You're right, we can't." The pro set him down. "So you call for paramedics. Every second's going to count!" Izuku watched as the man ran over to a nearby tree and grabbed a large, thick branch.

"What are you-

"NOW!" Death Arms barked, causing the boy to yelp as he got out his phone. The hero then ripped the branch clean off. Izuku quickly caught on to what he was going to do.

The sound of a splash got his attention. Mina had surfaced and was holding onto someone.

"Don't move!" Death arms cried out before holding out the branch. It was long enough to reach her. "Grab onto this!"

Mina struggled to tread water as she weakly reached for the branch. Her breath was short and ragged as the cold started getting to her.

"Hold on tight!" She did her best as the branch was lifted slightly and pulled back. Mina held the boy in her other arm close as they were safely brought back to shore.

Izuku got off the phone as they were brought in, running over as fast as he could. Death Arms was laying them both down. Mina looked barely awake, and the kid was unconscious.

"H-Help's o-on the way!"

"Good. Now we need to keep these two warm until they get here. Help me with their clothes."

"R-Right!" Izuku nodded, knowing enough about rescue to understand what he meant. Death arms tended to the boy (Hiroto, as his two friends who had come over where crying) while he focused on Mina.

"Mi…Do…Ri…?" She said weakly as he began getting her out of her wet clothes. Luckily her innermost layer was still fairly dry so he didn't have to strip her completely, not that he would have cared about that sort of thing right now.

Her pink looked considerably less bright as she swayed to and fro. Her head drooped a few times as well.

"Uh… Uh…" Izuku was more than a little terrified and wasn't sure what to do.

"Keep her awake!" Death Arms ordered as he checked Hiroto for signs of breathing.

Mina's vision was hazy as the world seemed to slow down around her. She could barely make out what looked like Izuku in front of her, but that was it.

"Is… He… O…Kay…?" She slurred.

"Y-Yes! He's safe, Ashido!" Izuku grabbed her cheeks, turning her head so she was focused on him. Her eyes seemed unfocused.

"Good…" She giggled loudly. "Gonna… Take… A nap…"

"No no no, hey… Hey…" Izuku slapped her cheeks lightly, shaking her a bit. "Stay with me, alright? Just for a little bit."

"Mmmm…" Her eyes drooped again. Izuku embraced her, hoping his body heat would help keep warm long enough. He noted just how cold her whole body felt.

"Just… Just stay with me…" Tears were beginning to fall from his eyes. "P-Please, just… Just stay with me…"

* * *

This'll just be a quick 2 chapter thingy. Was going to be a oneshot but I realized it'll be a bit too bulky if I do that. Should hopefully have the second part up by the end of the week.


	2. Chapter 2

Izuku wrung his hands as he rapidly bounced ones of his legs up and down. Sitting still was simply impossible for him right now. He stared at the floor mumbling nonstop, occasionally glancing up towards the door he was next to.

The restless boy was at a hospital, sitting outside the room the staff had brought Mina to. It had been maybe an hour or so since the incident at the park.

The memory replayed itself in Izuku's head in vivid detail. Those frantic few seconds of seeing Mina out on the ice, knowing exactly what she was about to do and being powerless to stop her. That nauseating feeling in his stomach as he watched her vanish under the water.

He had tended to her until the paramedics arrived, making sure she stayed warm and conscious. It had been terrifying seeing her so pale and cold, on the verge of simply passing out right there. What would have happened if she had? What if help was just a few seconds later than they had been?

Of course, the young hero feared for the boy she had dove in for as well. Death Arms wound up performing CPR, managing to get him up. He too managed to keep the boy stable long enough before handing him off once help arrived.

Izuku went straight to the hospital, of course. He needed to know they were okay, that this hadn't all been for naught. Waiting for the confirmation was one of the most agonizing experiences ever; he had actually gone to the bathroom a few times to dry heave he felt so awful.

By contrast, hearing that they were both stable and recovering was the single greatest relief he had felt in a long time. Unfortunately, Mina was still unconscious (she had passed out shortly after being given to the paramedics), so Izuku couldn't go see her just yet. So here he was, waiting outside her room with all the patience of a 5-year-old on Christmas.

He needed to talk to her, no, _apologize_ to her. He actually needed to apologize to a lot of people.

Izuku had felt a whole range of emotions during this little incident. Fear, grief, dread… But the single biggest feeling may have been guilt. Guilt for not being able to act quick enough to stop Mina from doing what she did. Guilt for not keeping a closer eye on those kids and letting his fanboyism distract him that long.

But most of all, guilt for what he had been putting his friends and family through for so long.

Izuku thought back to that conversation he and Mina had had in the park about his arms. How she had expressed concern over all the injuries he had inflicted on himself. At the time he had given her a small apology, thinking he understood the extent of her – and likely others' – fears.

How wrong he was.

All the awful emotions he had experienced during this little incident, that constant sick-to-his-stomach feeling that refused to go away… It all stemmed from watching Mina throw herself into a dangerous situation without the slightest hint of caution. She didn't hesitate for a second before jumping into that pond. In that moment, nothing about her own safety mattered to her. She was willing to sacrifice herself to try and save this random kid.

It was like looking in a mirror. This obviously wasn't the first time Izuku had seen someone risk their neck for another, but something about seeing Mina do it with that conversation still fresh on his mind just opened his eyes. He was hurting the people who cared about him as much as he was hurting himself. Possibly more even.

Some hero.

"Just this way."

Izuku was drawn from his thoughts by the voice of a nurse passing by. Accompanying her were a man and woman he had never seen before, but they had some very familiar-looking traits. They both looked about as nervous as he felt, each comforting the other. The nurse stopped at Mina's door, knocking. It opened a moment later as a second nurse answered it and conversed with her. She then turned to the others, who Izuku had deduced by now were Mina's parents.

"She's awake now, please come in." The boy sat up straight upon hearing this. Of course, he would have to wait before seeing her; family first, after all. They probably felt even worse than he had.

* * *

Mina lied back into her pillow, sighing loudly as her parents left the room. She hated making them worry like that; she couldn't imagine how it felt to find out your kid was in the hospital. They had obviously been very emotional just now, scolding her for her actions just as much as they were crying tears of joy for seeing that she was alright.

She had only woken up a little while ago. Well, woken up with any sort of clarity; she had been slipping in and out of consciousness ever since coming out of the water, and it was all pretty much a blur. She remembered Izuku's voice, an ambulance, and then… Nothing.

Upon waking, the first thing she asked was how the kid she had pulled out was. She was more than a little relieved to hear he was fine, though like her he needed to rest and recover. Frostbite and hypothermia had taken their tole on both her and him. She actually still felt a bit sore and stiff, especially in her hands and feet.

It was hard to even remember everything that had happened. One second she was watching Izuku trying to get an autograph, the next she was diving into deathly cold waters. There had been no hesitation or thought to any of her actions. She saw that kid fall and her body just started to move.

Had she been scared? Absolutely. The ice could have broken up and trapped her. The shock from the cold could have caused her to pass out like Hiroto did and drown. But letting him die down there was a much scarier thought, and so she pressed on.

Ugh. She hated that she'd made her parents so scared, but what else was she supposed to do? Heroes risked their lives all the time. Had she not acted as quickly and directly as she had, there's a pretty good chance Hiroto wouldn't be here.

"…Is this how Midoriya feels?"

Her mind drifted back to her conversation with him earlier. How she expressed her concern for his constant disregard for his own safety. Well, didn't she feel like a big old hypocrite?

"Uh… Hello?"

A light knock at the door accompanied a familiar voice. Mina looked over and smirked. Speak of the devil.

"Hey, Midoriya."

Izuku quietly shut the door behind him before slowly approaching the bed. Mina's nurse had stepped out for the moment, leaving just the two of them alone.

Izuku was relieved to see most of the pink girl's color had returned to her face. Seeing her so pale and faded was incredibly unsettling.

"Are… Are you feeling alright?"

"Mostly. Don't think I want to go swimming, like, ever again though," she laughed lightly, sitting up a bit. Well, her joking around was a good sign. "Really, I'm fine. Hands and feet still feel a little weird though." Looking at her hands, they did look a little strange. Frostbite, most likely, but it didn't look too severe.

"That's good." Izuku wasn't exactly sure what to say; he had been pretty fired up while waiting for her to wake up, but now that he was actually here he couldn't find the words. Mina couldn't seem to either as a long silence passed.

"…Thanks, by the way," she finally said.

"Huh?"

"For keeping me safe. I only sorta remember it, but I know you were there making sure I was ok after Death Arms got me out, right?"

"Oh, r-right." He had been scared out of his mind but yes, he had done that. "I mean, I just… Did what anyone would have done there, really."

"Well still, you probably saved my life. So, you know, guess I owe you one."

"Wha-no, that isn't necessary!" Izuku flailed his arms as Mina laughed.

"Just messing around." She was still grateful, of course. "…Have you been here the whole time?" It dawned on her that he had likely been waiting for her to wake up.

"Um, well, yes." Izuku blushed slightly, knowing that may have seemed a bit excessive. "They said you were okay a while ago, but I just… I wanted to make sure."

"Well that was very sweet of you." Mina couldn't help but smile as the boy's face grew slightly redder at this. "I mean for what it's worth, I'm sorry if I made you worry."

"Of course I was worr-Ahem…" Izuku cut himself off as he started to raise his voice. "Well… I'm the one who should… Who should be apologizing." He looked at the floor as he said this, his face growing a bit sullen.

"Wha? Why?" Mina tilted her head. "I'm the one who went charging in there like a dumbass."

"It wasn't dumb!" Izuku shouted as he looked at her suddenly "It was… Just, well…" He cleared his throat. "Scary to watch you do that." Mina was silent as he paused. "I, um… Recall you saying something similar to me earlier." Looking to the side, he rubbed the back of his head slowly.

"…Yeah, I did."

"It's…" Izuku inhaled. "Ashido, I was… I was terrified. More than I've been in a long time. I-I felt sick to my stomach and well… I just didn't know if you were going to be okay, and that…" Another long pause as he stared at the wall. "…Is that how you felt before? With me and my Quirk?"

Mina took a moment to answer.

"…Kind of, yes. Like, seeing you in that hospital bed after the attack, then finding out you went into that… Deathtrap." She swallowed as she recalled finding out Izuku and a few others had gone after Bakugou. Not even a few hours prior to finding out that news she had seen the boy in two full arm casts and more.

"I see." Izuku sniffled, wiping an eye. "W-Well, I… I'm sorry for putting you through th-that. I never… I never really appreciated how, well, this." He gestured to his right arm. "Made people feel." It was likely others shared Mina's opinion. God, he felt terrible now.

"Well…" Mina sighed. "Your apology does mean a lot, so thank you. And I mean… Sorry for making you go through that too."

"I… I understand."

"Yeah, you do don't you?" She laughed a little, shaking her head. Her face then grew serious as she looked at him. "Can I ask you something kinda personal?" Izuku was reluctant, but eventually nodded. "Whenever you would do, well, anything stupid… You were scared, right? Like, scared of your bones breaking and how bad it would feel, or of failing to beat the bad guy and, well…" She didn't want to finish the sentence, figuring he could piece the rest together. His grave face suggested he did.

"…Of course I was scared. Who wouldn't be?" Mina nodded.

"But you were more scared of letting the villain get away, or someone innocent getting hurt than any of that, right?"

"I… Yes." It was why Izuku was so willing to charge headfirst into extremely dangerous situations again and again and again. The consequences of inaction were far, far scarier than the consequences of getting involved.

"I figured." He was pretty sure he understood why she was asking. "That's sorta what was going through my head at the time too." Yep, knew it. "Like, I didn't even have time to think. My body just…"

"Started moving on it's own?" Izuku finished her sentence for her. She looked at him with mild surprise.

"…Yeah, exactly." After a beat, she smirked. "You sure you don't have like, a mindreading Quirk?"

"Uh, heh… No, nothing like that. Just, you know, know the feeling." Mina nodded sagely.

"Hm… Well honestly, I think I get you a bit better now. At least, why you are so darn reckless all the time." She laughed a bit heartier this time. "Still, wouldn't hurt to just calm down like, a little bit."

Izuku was taken aback. He hadn't expected Mina to so wholly understand what went on in his head during those tense, make-or-break moments. The fact that she had the same thought process (or lack thereof) at the pond that he typically had was equal parts good and bad. Good because it meant she had a fantastic heroic instinct. Bad because, well, like him it meant she would be willing to throw herself into all sorts of problems.

Some basic, primal part of him didn't want that. He wanted Mina to be safe and secure, to not put herself in harm's way. But his rational side knew she, like him, wanted to be a pro. She needed to be willing to put her life on the line like that. Plus, she was a strong girl; she could probably handle herself.

Didn't mean he wouldn't worry though.

"In fact, why don't we both agree to at least _try_ to think a little more before we act sometimes." For the first time, Izuku actually laughed a little.

"Yeah, sounds good."

They stared at one another for a moment.

"…That was really smart, by the way." Izuku spoke first. "Using your Quirk to melt the ice like that. A lot safer than just breaking through."

"You think so?" Mina grinned. "I mean like I said, I wasn't exactly _thinking_ but I just kinda knew what to do."

"Well, still."

Once again, they simply looked at each other without speaking. The shock of the whole situation had finally left Izuku's system, and he was returning to his normal teenage self. Which meant realizing he was standing here alone in a room with this really pretty girl that he had now gained more admiration for than he already had. She had been a true hero today, not just someone learning to become one. She had that same instinct that he did, that undeniable urge to do good.

Mina had a new fondness for him as well, now that she had a better idea of what was going on in his head. She, like much of the class, had always thought highly of his him both as a student and person, but this was different. While she still did think he needed to be less self-destructive (which as of the last month or two seemed to be the case), she at least understood why he acted that way now. Had she been in his position, she likely would have done the same.

Plus, he had seriously waited the whole time for her to wake up just to check on her and apologize for making her worry. He was a total sweetheart.

It took about 20 seconds for them to realize they were still staring.

"…O-Oh!" Thinking how creepy he must have looked, a streak of red crossed Izuku's face as he turned away. Mina's face darkened as well as she giggled to hide her nervousness. "Um, s-sorry, just…"

"Spaced out? Yeah, me too." She paused. "Oh by the way… What happened to my groceries?" It was mostly a joke meant to lighten the mood a bit. Though if they had been saved, that _would_ have been nice.

"What? Oh. OH! S-Sorry, I… I kind of just l-left them there." They weren't exactly a priority, but now Izuku couldn't help but feel bad. "Again, sorry!" He blushed more.

"Dude." Mina laughed. "I was kidding." She shook her head. "Gosh, you get so worked up over little things. You're so cute!

"…" Izuku's entire face suddenly turned deep red as he hid his face.

"What?" Mina was confused by this reaction. What had she said?

…Wait.

Black eyes widened as it hit her.

"Did… Did I say that out loud?" That last sentence was supposed to be in her head. She felt her whole face heat up as she put a hand over her mouth. "Whoops. Well, uh…"

Izuku gulped as Mina went into fit of nervous giggling. He was cute? Where… where had that come from? What was going on?

"Ithinkyou'recutetoo!" He suddenly squeaked out without thinking.

AH!

Why!? Why did he just do that? So she wouldn't be the only one embarrassed?

His heart was pounding as his stomach did somersaults. Mina was a bit less nervous than he was, but still fidgeted. Neither was really sure what to say. How did the conversation get to here all of a sudden?

Fortunately for both of them, the tension was broken by the sound of the door opening.

"Ashido!?" Kirishima cried as he entered the room. Alongside him was almost all of 1A.

"We all came as soon as we could!" Uraraka exclaimed, worry in her face. "Are you… Are you alright?" Other class members echoed her concerns.

Izuku exhaled deeply as he forced himself to calm down. He had sent most of the class texts about Mina's situation a little while ago.

"I'm fine, guys." Mina was more than happy to have that awkward little moment interrupted. Though she was admittedly curious to see where it would have gone…

Ah well. Maybe later.

"What happened?" Kaminari asked. "Midoriya here told us the general stuff, but like…"

Mina gestured for everyone to gather around. Looks like it was story time.

* * *

Izuku turned the page of his textbook, mumbling the words to himself as he read. He was sitting at his desk in his room, finishing up the last of his homework for the weekend.

It had been a week since the incident at the park. Things had gone back to normal pretty quickly; Mina had to stay the night at the hospital but was back in school the next day. Her little stunt was the talk of the class for a day or two, but things quickly settled back into routine.

One thing that had changed was that Izuku had started hanging out with her a lot more. They'd sat together at lunch every day this week, as opposed to once or twice to sit with mutual friends. They also had started walking to and from classes together a lot more. If they weren't friends before, they certainly were now.

That awkward conversation in the hospital never came up again, though it definitely lingered in the back of their heads. Izuku chalked it up to them just both being emotional after everything they had talked about prior. He tried not to think about it much, lest he start to get other ideas about what it meant.

In addition to spending more time with the Mina, the freckled boy had taken the time to apologize to his friends and family about his prior actions. As it turned out, they pretty much all felt the same way Mina had. Not that Izuku was surprised. He promised them all what he and Mina more or less promised each other: He would _try_ , at least, to act with a little less rashness. To think just a little bit before rushing in to dangerous situations.

As he sat there reading, the young hero heard a knock at his door. Getting up, he checked the peephole to see who was there. Smiling, he opened the door.

"Hi, Ashido." Mina stood before him, dressed in the same set of winter clothes she was wearing last Sunday. "Uh, what's up?"

"Hey Midori. You busy right now?"

"Well, I got a little homework left but otherwise no. Why? Were you going grocery shopping again?" Mina shook her head.

"Nah, not this time. Just going into town to have some fun. Hit up the mall, see a movie, maybe grab some dinner… You want to join me?"

"O-Oh, um… Okay, yeah." That did sound fun. "Who else is going?"

Mina raised eyebrow. Was he serious?

"Uh, nobody." Based on how they'd been acting toward each other all week she figured he wouldn't be this oblivious.

"Nobody? Is everyone busy?" Izuku found it hard to believe that would be the case two weeks in a row.

Black and gold eyes stared blankly at him.

"…Dude, I'm asking you out."

"Oh, I-WAIT, WHAT!?" Izuku leapt back as he screamed, face on fire as he flailed his arms. Mina snorted out a laugh.

She'd thought about the flustered boy quite a bit this week. And while she wasn't exactly certain of her feelings for him yet, she figured a date would be a good way to figure them out.

"So, you still want to-

"YES!" Izuku squawked before covering his mouth. "Um… Y-Yes." Was this really happening? He honestly didn't know if he even liked Mina that way. Sure she was pretty, sure he wanted to spend more and more time with her, sure he thought about her nonstop this week…

…Oh.

"Well bundle up, it's another cold one," Mina suggested.

A few minutes later and the pair was heading out the door. Izuku tensed up as he felt Mina's gloved hand grab his as they walked. He didn't protest, however.

Looking at each other, they both smiled with enough warmness to melt the snow around them. Neither of them knew for sure where this was going to lead. For all they knew, this could be a total disaster.

But in both their heads, it was better to take that risk then to do nothing.

* * *

And done. Fun little short, hope you all enjoyed.


End file.
